


Worms Belong In The Ground, Not Your Brother's Braids

by slothfulzel



Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: Gen, House of Durin, genfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 04:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slothfulzel/pseuds/slothfulzel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for The Hobbit Kink Meme prompt:</p>
<p>Young!Fili and Kili being adorable and following their uncle around. Thorin acts annoyed but secretly loves having his young nephews around to keep him company. All the family fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worms Belong In The Ground, Not Your Brother's Braids

**Author's Note:**

> My first time posting any fanfiction for The Hobbit fandom, and just any fandom in general, really. Feel free to concrit! :3

The heirs to the throne of Durin were no more than born when the destroyer Smaug wrought his terror upon the lands of Dain. Erebor was not even a lingering memory at the back of their minds, but the stories of greatness had fueled a growing flame in their hearts for the lost city of their people.

Thorin could already see it, clear as day, in his young nephews.

Fíli, firstborn, was built to be strong and tall as Thorin himself, though his attributes came mostly from his mother. Fair-haired and smooth browed, Fíli forever stood behind his brother and kept a constant watchful eye on the younger of the two. Kíli, however, was the more adventurous and lithely built with eyes sharper than that of any hawk flying over the Blue Mountains.

They were still dwarflings yet, quite a bit younger than Thorin had been when Smaug had brought his destruction upon the dwarven lands, but there was still much for them to be taught. Thorin Oakenshield had taken it upon himself to be their tutor, mentor, and father-figure. It was only right for royals to teach royals, after all.

Every day a new task was set upon the children, though the two refused to be separated so each day also proved to be a lessen in restraint for Thorin. Where Fíli went, Kíli was sure to follow in his older brother's footsteps and where Kíli went, Fíli had to make sure his little brother stayed out of harm's way. Thorin had once thought to break their co-dependency, but had swiftly thought better of it. It was clear that the two only strengthened each other, where one was weak, the other was strong. Who was Thorin to break such a bond between brothers, a bond as he had never had with his own younger brother Frerin. It was not in Thorin to separate his nephews how he and Frerin had been, not in him to distance them at all, even if it would have been much easier on himself.

"Kíli, worms belong in the ground, not your brother's braids," Thorin's voice broke through the glen and carried sharply, though Kíli took little note of it, choosing instead to watch his brother's reaction. Giggles followed Fíli's yell of protest and Thorin's put upon sigh. Not for the first time Thorin had the fleeting wish for nice, sweet nieces, but he pushed it aside in lieu of actually carrying on with the day's lesson.

"Come, nephews, I tire of your games for the evening," Thorin waved Fíli over to his seat on a fallen log to help him rid himself of the dirt in his flaxen braids. Kíli, meanwhile, took up seat on the other side of his uncle, still giggling quietly at his mischief. A wordless look from Thorin was all it took for Kíli to quickly hush himself.

"I'm sorry, Fíli, now your hair is all dirty. I shall help you, uncle!" There was no time for Thorin to decline the help from Kíli before the dwarfling was clambering over his lap, settling himself comfortably in the crook of Thorin's bent knee. Smirking softly despite himself, Thorin allowed Kíli's hands to join his own in Fíli's hair.

There was little mucous from the worms left in the threads, but dirt clumped them together tightly. Tugging the metal clasp from the end of the first braid, Thorin guided Kíli's small, nimble fingers to manually uncross each separate thread, showing him how they line up and fit into one another. With the braid unwound, Thorin swiftly brushed the granules of dirt away from Fíli's hair, being as meticulous as he possibly could with two extra little hands getting in the way.

"Alright, Kíli, you remember how we unbraided your brother's hair? Time to braid it back. I'll show you once then let you try." Kíli's grin was wide and bright as he nodded enthusiastically. This skill was something normally handed down by the matriarch of the family, but Thorin found that his two nephews paid him much more attention than they did their own mother half the time. Perhaps it had something to do with their father's death in Moria, the two were unconsciously seeking out a father figure. Whatever the matter, Thorin was actually rather happy to take that role. The two boys were the children Thorin never planned on having of his own, he could admire the moments collected of them while they were still young.

Thick, scarred fingers clutched small delicate ones as Thorin guided Kíli's fingers through his brother's hair. The thick strands came together evenly and made a nice, tight braid with little effort, unlike Kíli's own hair which always seemed too downy and light to even try. It brought a smile to Thorin's lips, thinking of the differences in the two boys, thinking of how they still came together and fit so nicely into the places carved out for them. By each other, by their lineage, by Thorin himself. The boys would make him proud one day, he could feel it in his bones.


End file.
